Chapter 1 #2
I wanted that, too, but not at the expense of my being trapped in a loveless relationship that would last for centuries.
There was always the fear that if you accepted that out of desperation, what if you later found your true mate?
You were honor-bound to stay and care for your first mate and your cubs, if you had them.
You would either pass up the chance to be truly happy or commit to having two mates.
Some shifters saw nothing wrong with having more than one mate.
They suppressed their animals’ needs and wants to do so.
As shifters, our animal sides wanted only one mate, and fighting that created its own problems. I refused to do it.
I forced myself to tune back into what was being said. Gunnar rose to his feet.
“We’re going to take a walk around the outside of the house and then the neighborhood.
I know you’re concerned that if there are spies, they’ll see us, but I believe that’s the least of your worries.
If anything, it might deter them from messing with you.
Keir and I want to see where we can tighten your security. ”
“I appreciate any advice you can give us. And I thank you for coming all this way on what might be hearsay. We don’t want to take more of your time than necessary,” Old Galen stated. He rose to his feet.
“We’ll give it as much time as it requires, so don’t worry about it. We want to know these things, especially if it turns out to be true. No one has the right to threaten or harm any of our people,” I stated gruffly.
“I hope it’s all rumors, but I don’t think it is, despite what I told my grandchildren. There are too many cases to be fabricated,” the old man added.
“You may be right. If you’ll excuse us, we’ll get started,” Gunnar replied.
After nodding to them, we swiftly left the house. Instead of dividing up, we began the walk-around together.
“You seemed distracted in there. The female messing with your head?” Gunnar asked.
“I wouldn’t call it messing, more like trying to figure out what she’ll be like. Sounds like she’s got a hard exterior. And her job could be a dangerous one if she’s out in the field. It feels wrong not to have someone with her if there is an actual, verifiable threat.”
“I agree with all that, but come on. Don’t tell me your heart didn’t speed up when you detected her scent. Or that Rogue didn’t have anything to say,” Gunnar pushed.
“Sure, my heart did, and so did Rogue. It’s been decades since we’ve met an actual female leopard. What would you feel like if you came across a female gryphon?” I countered.
“I’d be fucking losing it. It’s been centuries since I met one.
Hell, I don’t even know if there are any gryphons left other than me.
And yes, my mind would immediately wonder whether she was mated or in a relationship.
If it were with a human, I’d have to see whether it was a true attachment or merely a matter of circumstance.
If it were the latter, nothing would keep me from pursuing her, unless she absolutely hated my guts.
So, I think it goes without saying, though I am, that you’ll check her out as potential mate material. Right?”
I knew I couldn’t lie to him. First, he knew me too well. Second, he had a nose for bullshit. It was partly what made him such a fantastic bounty hunter.
“Fine, yes, I’ll be assessing that, but don’t get your hopes up. The chances we’ll click even if we are both leopards are iffy.”
“Well, I’m holding out hope. Two of us have found our true mates. I gain more hope every day that the rest of us will, too. Whether it’s with someone of our own species or a Precious One, I don’t know. But I’m not blowing off any possibilities.”
“I hear you, and I’m not. Let’s get this done before it’s time to go pick up Fiona. Hopefully, she won’t work overtime. We need to speak to her and see if she has any insights into the matter. I wonder if she knew her brother contacted us?” I mused.
“I don’t know. We can ask when we go back inside. Come on, let’s go.”
Putting aside my thoughts about Fiona Katz, I concentrated on the job at hand.
It took us over an hour to thoroughly scout not only the Katz home and its small yard, but also the immediate neighborhood.
A closer inspection revealed even more decay and disregard for people’s homes.
From what I smelled, none of the neighbors were shifters or other supernatural beings.
We stuck to the street and the block where the Katz home stood.
When we finished, we noted several areas that needed attention. I made a list in my phone's notes app so we could buy what we needed. Then I searched nearby for places to get the items. We went back into the house to update Galen Senior.
“Make yourselves comfortable. Can we get you anything?” he asked.
“Not right now. We’ve finished outside. We’d like to do a walk-through inside, and then we’ll tell you what we found. Does that sound okay?” I asked.
“Absolutely, Gal can show you around. If you need something, just let him know.”
With Gal at our side, he took us to check out the doors and windows in the living room and kitchen.
Then it was the door to the backyard and to the attached garage.
After that, there were three bedrooms and two bathrooms to inspect.
I knew immediately upon entering the one bathroom that it was the one Fiona used. Her scent, though fainter, was evident.
I noted the products she used. Gunnar had Gal in his bedroom next to it.
With him not there, I snooped. I opened drawers to see what else she had or used.
In all honesty, it wasn’t much. All the hair tools and do-dads, makeup, lotions, and such that most women used were absent.
I couldn’t tell whether she didn't like them or couldn't afford them.
But I guessed that there was a lack of funds.
The house inside was well-lived in, though clean. It had been decorated with homey touches that were warm and inviting, yet not expensive.
Leaving the room, I called out, “I’m checking the last bedroom. Meet you in the kitchen.”
“Sure thing,” Gunnar replied.
Entering Fiona’s bedroom flooded my senses with the smell and almost the feel of her.
Her scent saturated it. The room wasn’t overly feminine, but I noted that purple and black were the color scheme.
Again, there weren't many superficial trappings.
A small tray on the dresser held a small collection of earrings and two bracelets.
Hanging from a small stand were three necklaces.
One bottle of perfume sat next to it. I picked that up and inhaled.
Rogue was purring inside and loving every scent that was associated with her, the same as I was.
When it came to cats of all kinds, we loved not only smells, but touch.
We were tactile-driven. I ran my hand over the quilt on her bed.
The texture was soft. I resisted lying down on her bed and rolling on it to mix my musk with hers.
It was an act of ownership that wasn’t true with us.
However, it didn’t prevent Rogue from pushing me.
Hurry. Mix our scent with hers. Mark this area as ours. And when we see her later, make sure to do the same to her. We can’t allow anyone to take her from us.
Damn it, Rogue, calm down. We don’t even know her. And you can’t expect me to mark a woman whom we don’t even know we’re compatible with. What if we both can’t stand her? Or you don’t match with her cat? Or I don’t with her?
It won’t happen. And her cat and mine will perfectly match. She’s my mate. That means her person is yours.
Not bothering to argue with him, I went to her closet.
Opening it, I found it contained sensible clothes, mainly workwear.
They were all neat, clean, but not high-end labels.
The rest were T-shirts, sweaters, and either jeans or leggings.
At the bottom were one pair of tennis shoes, one pair of boots, and four pairs of high heels.
I resisted opening her dresser drawers. I wasn’t going to invade her privacy even more and touch her intimates, though I wanted to know if those were as sensible as the rest of her possessions. Or did Fiona hide ultra-feminine lingerie underneath her non-flashy clothes?
I noticed that there were no personal photos in the house.
I wasn’t sure why. Galen Senior clearly adored his great-grandchildren.
I wondered what Fiona looked like. Images of a faceless woman spread out on the bed, gesturing to me to come to her, wearing sexy lingerie, popped into my head.
It, combined with the smell of Fiona, caused my cock to start hardening.
I hurried out before it became a full-blown erection.
Christ, that was ridiculous, I lectured myself as I checked out the window in the hallway again.
Even during my snooping in her bedroom, I had checked her window.
A couple of minutes later, after I’d calmed down, I returned to the kitchen. Gunnar gave me a knowing look. Gal and Old Galen merely smiled and gestured for me to sit at the small table. After I did and accepted a drink, we got down to telling them what we found.
“Thankfully, all your windows and doors lock. However, that doesn’t mean they can’t be beefed up.
The doors need deadbolts on all three. It’s not hard to do.
Since they all slide open rather than lift, the tracks the windows run on can be further reinforced by inserting dial rods to prevent anyone from opening them.
We’ll measure them, then have the rods cut at the home store,” Gunnar told them. Then he gestured for me to take over.